Journalists and Obama administration alumni attacked President Donald Trump for not taking questions following his first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, while neglecting to note former President Barack Obama did the same.
Both Democrats and the media fumed at a statement put out by the Trump administration that they didn't take any questions at the request of the Chinese, which they framed as unprecedented and detrimental to press freedoms.
Trump's idea of the art of the deal: Roll over.
The Obama WH didn't accept the "Chinese insistence" (nor the Cuban, Ethiopian, etc.) https://t.co/J9NR3szNPl
— Ned Price (@nedprice) November 9, 2017
The Chinese try this every time. It’s a test of will and principle. Letting them dictate press access is an embarrassing capitulation. https://t.co/uIaEWhcpgF
— Jay Carney (@JayCarney) November 9, 2017
I once had to tell Chinese officials that Pres. Obama would not show up for the press avail unless there would be a Q&A. They backed down. https://t.co/Z2LdwSYK9k
— Jay Carney (@JayCarney) November 9, 2017
That is a remarkable concession from the president of a country with a First Amendment. https://t.co/SycaE6sJwf
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) November 9, 2017
China isn’t supposed to have a say about press access. Previous press secs used to fight with Chinese counterparts for press access when in China. Witnessed personally. https://t.co/IWMgOoy7ZB
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) November 9, 2017
Trump just became the first US president since George H.W. Bush to not take questions from reporters alongside his Chinese counterpart on his first visit here. Clinton, G.W. Bush & Obama all made a point of doing it.
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) November 9, 2017
Mr. President, we have a First Amendment whether China (and you) like it or not. https://t.co/ekO3RTp8hJ
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) November 9, 2017
But what they missed or failed to mention was that President Barack Obama also failed to take questions with then-President Hu Jintao during his first trip to China.
"Today's event had been described as a press conference, but no questions were allowed," complained The Guardian in 2009. "Instead, Hu and Obama delivered brief prepared comments on their discussions, which had lasted for two and a half hours."
It wasn't until Obama's 2014 trip that both world leaders took questions following their meeting in China. Xi largely ignored a pair of questions posed by a New York Times reporter, the only questions he took from Western press.
Some, such as CNN's Jeremy Diamond, issued a correction without deleting the original tweet. CNN's Jake Tapper attacked Trump's decision, but noted Obama initially had the same policy.
Correction: Obama also did not take questions with his counterpart during his first visit. He & Xi did during a subsequent trip in 2014. https://t.co/Q76KocaIiB
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) November 9, 2017
7/ but to all those former OBAMA aides out there heralding how great he was on this issue: In 2009 Obama didn’t take questions while in China with President Hu. "Today's event had been described as a press conference, but no questions were allowed."https://t.co/hhUlIt3QIl
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 9, 2017
8/ so it’s great that President Obama landed in the right place by the end of his presidency — but he didn’t start there. So all the Obama WH aides beating their chests on this: simmer down.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 9, 2017